Lang Banks's biography

I’m one of those lucky people that gets paid to do their hobby, and I’ve been even luckier to have been able to do so for over a decade now. Although I’m a biologist, I’ve spent most of my working career on communications and campaigns.

My interest in environmental issues probably stems from long walks as a child along the beaches of Ayrshire and the Argyll countryside. The lively political discussions around my parents’ dinner table most evenings probably helped too.

Although I head WWF Scotland, I regularly work on issues right across the UK, Europe and even globally. I especially enjoy working with colleagues from around the world and attempting to maximise the collective power and impact of the Panda.

A self-confessed news junkie, I love nothing more than wading through piles of newspapers every day. I like beer and keep chickens.

You’ll probably see me blogging and tweeting about things in the news, campaigns and international events. You might even see me blog and tweet about my chooks.

My latest posts

Scotland’s story of a power sector in transition is being played out in many countries around the world. The centralised, large fossil fuel generation model is being unravelled with every new megawatt of renewable generation. The role of ‘baseload’ thermal power is being eroded rapidly as renewable technologies are effectively taking the place of conventional […]

Dear members of the Cabinet Sub-Committee on Climate Change, Having recently attended the UN climate talks in Lima, Peru, I wanted to write to you as you prepare for your first meeting of 2015. While the end result of the talks was disappointing, with a huge amount of unfinished business, there was also a clear […]

I’ve been in Lima for the UN climate talks. I’ve been regularly tweeting and blogging. If you find this or my other blogs interesting please feel to share it. DAYS 12, 13 & 14 (Friday 12 to Sunday 14 December 2014) So, the talks are over, as is my time in Lima. It’s just a […]

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The Amazon is much more than simply a beautiful, far-off tropical rainforest. It’s also a source of everyday items we rely on. Do you recognise these familiar products and ingredients? 1) CHOCOLATE Did you know that your favourite chocolate originates from the cacao plant? This grows wild in Central and South America and cultivating it

Dr Kate Evans is the director and founder of Elephants for Africa. She started her research over a decade ago, looking at adolescent male elephants in the Okavango Delta and how they socialise – with an emphasis on how captive-bred animals would react in a wild environment. Here she talks about how complex these beautiful

We don’t need to worry about climate change because it won’t affect us for ages, right? Wrong! Find out why – no matter what you care about – climate change is affecting our world today. But here’s some good news: we still have time to make sure it doesn’t get worse in the future… 1.

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Reflections on my recent visit to China: on politics, rivers and royal cranes… China, day 1 Grey cloud clings to Beijing as our flight descends. I get first sight of the city moments before wheels and tarmac meet. Is this fog, smog or low autumn rain? Stumbling, sleep-deprived, through customs, security seems tight. Then I

This week, photographs and a story were released about a snow leopard in the remote regions of Kangchenjunga in north-east Nepal. Under the gaze of the five sacred peaks – straddling the Nepal, India and Tibet borders – a small team of local conservation volunteers, officials and specialist biologists (including WWF staff) spent weeks preparing, tracking

We want Wales to be a truly sustainable country – a ‘One Planet nation’ that uses its fair share of the earth’s resources so that we help tackle big problems facing people and nature such as climate change and the threats to our forests and oceans. So in the run-up to WWF’s Earth Hour, we